Sam Haggerty

Samuel Onofrio Haggerty (born May 26, 1994) is an American professional baseball infielder and outfielder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Mets.

Career
Haggerty attended Mullen High School in Denver, Colorado, and the University of New Mexico, where he played college baseball for the New Mexico Lobos. In his first year, he was named as the co-Freshman of the Year of the Mountain West Conference and named to the Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American team. In 2014, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Cleveland Indians
Haggerty was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 24th round of the 2015 MLB Draft.

Haggerty played for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in 2015, hitting .283/.361/.453/.814 with 1 home run and 7 RBI. He played for the Lake County Captains in 2016, hitting .230/.323/.320/.643 with 4 home runs and 39 RBI.

In 2017, he spent the season with the Lynchburg Hillcats, hitting .253/.355/.398/.753 with 3 home runs, 32 RBI, and 49 stolen bases. In 2018, he split the year between the Akron RubberDucks and the Columbus Clippers, combining to hit .239/.369/.384/.753 with 4 home runs and 39 RBI.

New York Mets
On January 6, 2019, Haggerty and Walker Lockett were traded to the New York Mets in exchange for Kevin Plawecki. He split the minor leagues season between the Brooklyn Cyclones, Binghamton Rumble Ponies and the Syracuse Mets, hitting .271/.369/.387/.756 with 3 home runs and 26 RBI.

On September 1, 2019, the Mets selected Haggerty's contract and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his major league debut on September 4 as a pinch runner versus the Washington Nationals. On December 24, he was designated for assignment.

Seattle Mariners
Haggerty was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners on January 10, 2020. He began his Mariners tenure with an 8-game hitting streak and ended the season slashing .260/.315/.400 with 4 stolen bases across 13 games.

On April 13, 2021, Haggerty hit a home run to Eutaw Street at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, becoming only the second Mariner to do so after Ken Griffey Jr. On June 7, Haggerty was placed on the 60-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. On October 22, Haggerty was outrighted off of the 40-man roster.

In 2022, Haggerty received a non-roster invitation to Mariners' spring training and began the season in Triple–A with the Tacoma Rainiers. He was selected to the Mariners' active roster on May 22. He was optioned down on June 17, but recalled on June 29. On July 14, Haggerty hit the Mariners' first inside-the-park home run in fifteen years. His season came to an end on October 3, just days before the Mariners' first playoff appearance since 2001, when he sustained a groin injury while successfully stealing second base. He finished the year with a .256 batting average, a .738 OPS (on base plus slugging), 13 stolen bases and 45 hits in 83 games played and 201 at-bats. Haggerty played in 52 games for Seattle in 2023, batting .253/.364/.341 with one home run, five RBI, and ten stolen bases.

Haggerty began the 2024 season on the injured list as the result of a personal medical issue unrelated to baseball. On April 17, 2024, he was activated from the injured list and optioned to Triple–A Tacoma. He was recalled on April 29, and appeared in eight games for the Mariners, going 1–for–15 (.067) with one RBI and one stolen base. On May 20, Haggerty suffered a torn Achilles tendon while trying to run down a fly ball while playing with Triple–A Tacoma. The injury subsequently ended his season.

Personal life
Haggerty uses the theme music from The Godfather for his walk-up music, choosing it to honor his mother and his Italian heritage.

His brash playing style and personal flair earned him the nickname "Ham Swaggerty" with fans and broadcasting crews.